Mechanism for multifolding printed webs



Nov. 8, 1949 A. M.,ZUCKERMAN MECHANISM FOR MULTIFOLDING PRINTED WEBS 3 SheetsSheet 1 Filed May 10, 1945 ATTORNEY Nov. 8 1949 A. M. ZUCKERMAN MECHANISM FOR MULTIFOLDING PRINTED WEBS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 10, 1945 Nov. 8, 1949 A. M. ZUCKERMAN 2,437,404

MECHANISM FOR MULTIFOLDING PRINTED WEBS Filed May 10, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Patented Nov. 8, '1 949 MECHANISM FOR MULTIFOLDING PRINTED WEBS Adolph M. Zuckerman, New York, N. Y also to R. Hoe Jr 00., Inc., New poration of New York York, N. Y., a cor- Application May 10, 1945, Serial No. 592,985

2 Claims. (01. 270-43,)

,This invention relates to folding, and more particularly to new and improved method and mechanism for multi-folding printed sheets.

folding mechanisms are delivered and which forwards them simultaneously to a' common longi- Heretofore, certain products have been produced by printing sheets in conventional sheetfed printing presses, and then folding each sheet on a separate conventional sheet folder. The

products thus produced are satisfactory as to' printing quality and folding accuracy, but the speed of their production is much slower than the speed of production of products which are produced in rotary web-fed printing and folding machines.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide improved method and mechanism for producing multi-folded printed products in a machine having rotary folding components.

Another object of this invention is toprovide an improved folder in which sheets are run in separate parts through different cross folding mechanisms, and finally assembled and longitudinal folding mechanism thereby producing signatures having two separate, sections folded together and having closed heads.

A- specific object of this invention is to provide, for use with a web-fed rotary printing machine, an improved folder in which a full-width web is slit into separate half-width webs that are run tudinally folded into a signature comprising separate sections'having closed heads.

A further object of this invention is to provide,

. for use with web-fed rotary printing machines,

an improved folder in which a full-width web is slit into separate half-width webs or ribbons which are run in the same path in face to face relation through a cutting and cross folding mechanism, and longitudinally folded into a signature comprising inner and outer sections which are locked together and having closed heads.

An additional object of this invention is to provide, for use with a web-fed rotary printing machine, an improved folder having a first sheet out in parallel paths in face to face relation past cutting cylinders which cut the webs into sheets that are guided along the parallel paths to separate sets of cooperating folding cylinders which produce a double cross fold in each sheet,-the folding cylinders delivering the sheets to a collecting cylinder which forwards them simultaneously to a common longitudinal folding mechanism.-

A more specific object, of this invention is to provide, for use with a web-fed rotary printing machine, a folder having first sheet cutting cylinders, first cross folding cylinders arranged to produce two spaced parallel cross folds, second sheet cutting cylinders, second cross folding cylinders arranged to produce two spaced.parallel cross folds, means for guiding sheets from the sheet cutting mechanism to the folding mechanisms along parallel paths of travel, a. common collecting cylinder fol-receiving products from the folding cylinders and toforward the collected products to a longitudinal folding mechanism which folds the sheets into signatures having separate ting mechanism, a cooperating first cross folding mechanism, a second sheet cutting mechanism, cooperating second cross folding mechanism, a common collecting mechanism cooperably associated with both cross folding mechanisms to collect folded products therefrom, alongitudinal folding mechanism, and means for forwarding products from the collecting mechanism to the longitudinal folding mechanism whereby they are folded to produce signatures having separate sections each having closed heads.

Another object of this invention is to provide, for use with a web-fed rotary printing machine, an improved folder having a first sheet cutting mechanism, a cooperating first cross folding mechanism capacltated to produce two parallel crossfolds, a second sheet cutting mechanism, a cooperating second cross folding mechanism capacitated to produce two parallel cross folds, a collecting cylinder to which products of both cross sections folded together and having closed heads. It is also an object of this invention to provide a folder of generally improved construction, whereby the device will be simple, durable and inexpensive in construction, as well as convenient, practical, serviceable and efllcient in its use. With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that various changes in form, proportion and minor details of construction may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from. the spirit or sacrificing any advantages of the invention.

For a complete disclosure of the invention, a detailed description thereof will now be given in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of the specification, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a magazine per- I fecting press and the improved folder; Figure 2 is an end view of the folder;

3 Figure 3 is an enlarged side view of the improved folder, part being omitted;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a product produced by the improved folder;

erence characters designate corresponding parts, l indicates the frame of a conventional magazine perfecting press which includes a first printin-g unit H and a second or perfecting unit |2. A web W is lead to the printing units II and -I2 from a supply roll R supported by a conventional reel or roll support R.

The web W is led from the active supply roll R past guide rollers l3, tension control roller l5, web feed rollers I6, to and through the first printing unit I I. After the web W passes through the first printing unit II, it is guided by rollers |3 through the heating chamber of a convent1onal drier l1, and then around conventional cooling rollers l8. From the cooling rollers IS the web is led around guide rollers 20 through the perfecting printing unit I2 and thr0ugh the heating chamber of a second conventional drier 2|, and \then around cooling rollers 22. After passing the cooling rollers 22, the web W is led to the improved folder 23 which provides the subject matter of this invention.

The folder is supported by a frame 25, and it includes a. drag roller 26 with which one or more slitting discs' 21 cooperate, for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth. The web W is led over the drag roller 26 Where it is preferably cut into two half-width Webs'W and W The first half- -width web W is led around guide rollers 28 to and between cooperating associated or nipping rollers 29, and then between conventional coopcrating cutting cylinders 30 and 3| (Figures 1 and 3), the cylinder 30 being provided with the conventional cutting knife 32, and the cylinder 3| being provided with the conventional cuttmg abutment or rubber 33, which cut the web W into sheets S of proper length, the sheets being relatively long owing to the fact that the web is out only once during each revolution ofthe cutting cylinders.

After the web W is cut into sheets, each sheet S is guided by vertical guides 35 to cooperating conventional nipping or propelling rollers 36 and 31. The rollers 36 and 31 are driven, and the roller 31 is preferably spring pressed or biased towards operable engagement with the driven roller 36. The nipping rollers 36 and 31 propel the sheet S through, additional vertical guides 35a to a pair of cooperating folding cylinders-38 and 40.

When the sheet S reaches the folding cylinder 38, it is taken by a conventional gripper 4| and conveyed partly around the cylinder 38 until a conventional folding blade 42, carried by the cylinder, tucks the intermediate portion of the sheet S into conventional'folding jaws 43 operably supported by the cylinder 40, thereby cross-folding the sheet S at its center. The folding jaws 43 carry the cross-folded sheet partly around the folding cylinder 40 until its folding blade 46 tucks the intermediate portion of the cross-folded sheet S into folding jaws 48, carried by a third folding cylinder 49, thereby imparting a second cross fold to the sheet S. which fold is spaced but parallel 4 with the first cross fold, thus uct having four thicknesses. I

The second half-width web W is led from the drag roller 26 over conventional turner bars 50, and then around guide rollers 5| to and between cooperating nipping or associated rollers 52. This web is led between cooperating cutting cylinders 53 and 54, similar to the cutting cylinders 30 and 3|, these cylinders being provided with a conventional cutting knife 55 and abutment 56.

After the web W is cut into sheetseach sheet S1 is guided by vertical guides 57 to cooperating conventional nipping rollers 58 and 59, similar in construction and arrangement to the nipping rollers 36 and 31. The nipping rollers 58 and 59 propel each sheet S1 through vertical guides 51 to a pair of cooperating folding cylinders 60 and SI. When the sheet reaches the folding cylinder 60 it is taken by a gripper 62 and conveyed partly around the cylinder until its conventional folding blade 63 tucks the intermediate portion of the sheet S1 into folding jaws 64, operably supported by the folding cylinder 6|, thereby cross-folding the sheet at its center. The folding jaws 64 carry the cross-folded sheet partly around the folding cylinder 6| until its folding blade 66 tucks the intermediate portion of the cross-folded sheet S1, into folding jaws 68 carried by a third folding cylinder 69, thereby imparting a second cross fold to the sheet, which fold is spaced from but parallel with the first cross fold, thus producing a product having four thicknesses.

A collecting cylinder 10 is provided to cooperate with both third folding cylinders 49 and 69, and this collecting cylinder has conventional grippers H and 12 which take a product from each of the third folding cylinders and carry them together past a slitting disc 13 which cuts each-collected cross-folded product midway of their length to produce two separate eight-ply products. The cut products are then delivered to horizontal guides 15, and they are propelled along these guides by cooperating .forwarding or nipping rollers 16 to two conventional chopper folders. The conventional folding blade 11 of each chopper folder folds the collected products lengthwise by tucking the sheets between horizontal longitudinally-disposed conventional nipping or folding rollers 18 and 80. This produces two sixteen-ply products from each eight-ply collected product, and these products are dropped into packer box deliveries 8| and 82 which extend laterally from the left side of the folder, as viewed in Figure 2. By this arrangement two thirty-two page signatures are produced and delivered from the left side of the folder 23 during each revolution of the cutting cylinders. Each signature comprises two separate sections folded together and each section having closed heads, as shown in Figure 4.

The combination and arrangement disclosed in this application affords relatively great flexibility in the choice of web runs to produce different products with the same mechanism.

Another web run may be resorted to by running a half-width web W from the drag roller 26 through the inner side of the folderyor the left side, as viewed in Figure 1, along the hereinbefore disclosed path of travel. The second half-width web W is led from the drag roller 26 over the turning bars 50, then around two guide rollers 5|, and then back across the folder to its left side producing a prod- .(Figure 1) and around a guide roller 28 to the with the web W at the associating rollers 29 and 82, Bla and 82a, best left hand deliveries,

, This web run permits then it is led down the left side of the folder (Figure 1) with the web W past the slitting disk V I3 and finally to the chopper folders which designatures. in the posit two thirty-two page packer box deliveries during each revolution of the cutting cylinders.

The use of signatures of this formation are preferable when relatively thin paper is employed. However, when relatively thick paper which cannot be folded so fiat is employed, then thesignatures of the formation whichare produced by the first web run and depicted in Figure 4 is preferred.

Another web run may be resorted to by silencing the slitter disc 21 which coacts with the drag roller 26, and then run a full-width web down either side of the folder, as viewed in Figure l, the

andfolding cylinders to the collecting cylinder 10. In this run the collecting cylinder 10, is operably engaged by three slitter discs 13 that out each sheet into four products which are then forwarded to the four chopper folders. The chopper folders fold the sheets longitudinally and deposit the folded products into the packer, box deliveries 8|, seen in Figure 2, there being a delivery of a product to each of the four packerboxes during each revolution of the cutting cylinders. This run results in the formation of four sixteen-page products, such as depicted in Figure 6. I

The flexibility of this arrangement permits the continued operation of the folder even after some of its components have become deranged or broken, because it is possible to reverse the turner bars, by means well known to those skilled in the art, and then lead of the folder, as viewed in Figure 2, instead of the left side, where two products may be'produced similar to those formed on the left and illustrated in Figures '4 and 5. For each'revolution of'the cutting cylinders, two similar products are delivered to the right hand deliveries llla and 82a, as viewed in Figure 2, instead of the as hereinbefore disclosed.

the webs down the right side are carried through the folder in substantially the same manner as hereinbefore disclosed in connection with the mechanism depicted in Figures 1, 2 and 3." This construction, of course, re-.. quires no dragroller, turner bars or cutting cylinders, but itpresents substantially the same operating flexibility as the arrangement hereinbefore disclosed. 1 1

If desired, a sheet may lbe turned downwardly from the upper guides around rollers 5 la, through nipping rollers 29a and around a roller 28 to the lower guides 81. In such run, the cylinders 60a, Bio and 69a are silenced. This sheet is run together with the sheet from the lower feed board through the lower guides-81 and through the cyl-v inders 38a, 40a and 49a which twice-folds the sheets in locked relation and then delivers them to the common collecting cylinder 10a; The

I sheets are then slit into four sections and each fulbwmth web being carried through the cutting section is folded by a chopper folder, and the resulting four folded products, depicted inFigure 5 and including 32 pages, are conveyed away from the folder by four deliveries in the manner hereinbeforedisclosed in connection with the structure depicted in Figures .1, 2 and 3.

With this arrangement, sheets from either the upper or-lower feeders and guides may be con- 'veyed through the cylinjders38a, 40a and 49a, or

the cylinders 60a, Sla and 69a, depending on whether'sheets from the upper or lower guides are to be folded. Such run gives'each sheet two parallel folds and the folded sheets are slit into four sections and each section is folded by a chopper folder to produce sixteen page products similar ,to those depicted in Figure 6. These folded products are delivered by the four deliverilets, liilelarteinbeforedisclosed. l w e understood that the invention m embodied in other specific forms without deg r t ing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and it is-therefore' desired that the present em bodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Again, a full-width web may be led to avoid the hand side of the folder, as viewed in Figure l.

the delivery of four products of the formation depicted in Figure 6, one product being delivered to each of the four deliveries 8|, 82, Bla and 82a during each revolution of the cutting cylinders.

Figure '7 discloses an arrangement in which a modified form of the folder is depicted in cooperable relation with two conventional sheet feeders of thefCross" type. Feeders of this type are arranged so that sheets are placed on the upper inclined surface of a board 85, on which theyare combed out, and in thisrelation they are led out around the outer end of the feed board and underneath it to a secondary feed table 88, from which they are forwarded along guides 81 to the modified folder 23a. This folder includes co-acting folding cylinders 38a, ceives sheets from the lower feed table 86 and guides 81 and twice cross-folds each sheet and then delivers it to a common collecting cylinder 10a. Sheets from the upper feed table and guides are delivered to co-acting foldingcyllnders 60a, Glu and 69a, which twice cross folds each sheet and delivers it tov the common collect- Having thus described the'invention, what is claimed as new and useful is:

1. In a folder for a printing machine, a drag roller, a collecting cylinder operably remote from the drag roller, a first web and sheet path comprising right and left portions, a second web and 0 sheet path comprising right and left portions,

40a and 491; which reeach path operably interposed between the drag roller and the collecting cylinder and formed by web guide rollers, cooperable cutting cylinders sheet guides, sheet propelling rollers and fold: ing cylinders cooperable to cross fold each sheet and deliver it to the collecting cylinder, means for slitting a full-width web at the drag roller into two half-width webs means for directing the half width webs selectively either to corresponding portions of the two said web paths or associating the half width webs and directing them together through the same portion of a web path, slitting means asso- I ciated with the collecting cylinder for cutting transversely folded products thereon into quarter width products and a plurality of longitudinal folding mechanisms operably associated with the collecting cylinder for receiving the cross folded products therefrom and longitudinally folding the said products.

2. In a folder for a printing machine, a drag. roller, a collecting cylinder operably remote from the drag roller, a first web and sheet path comprising right and left portions, a second web and Y ing cylinder 10a. Inthis arrangement the sheets sheet path comprising right and left portions,

roller and the collecting cylinder and formed by.

web guide rollers, cooperable cutting cylinders,

sheet guides, sheet propelling rollers and folding cylinders cooperable to form two spaced parallel cross folds in each sheet and deliver the folded sheet to the collecting cylinder, means for slitting a lull-width web at the drag roller into two haliwidth webs, means for directing 'the half width webs selectively either to corresponding portions of the two said web paths or associating the halt width webs and directing them together through I the same portion of a web path, slitting means associated with the collecting cylinder for cutting transversely folded products thereon into quarter width products and a plurality of longitudinal folding mechanisms operably associated with the collecting cylinder for receiving the cross folded The following refe'rencesare of 'record in the file of this patent: i UNITED STATES PATEN'IS 10 Number Name Date- 992,474 Barber May 16, 1911 1,299,656 Barber Apr. 8, 1919, 1,326,859 Grammer Dec. 30, 1919 1,831,156 Boyce Nov. 10, 1931 15 1,909,518 .Boyce 'l May 16, 1933 2,016,309 Zuckerman Oct. 8, 1935 products therefrom and longitudinally ,iolding the said products.

. ADOLPH M. .ZUCKERMAN.

REFERENCES c rrnn Zuckerman July 1, 1941 f- 

